"Wagon-Team" Up for Success in Business World

Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the world of business has changed dramatically. The modern worker now has an increasingly specialized, isolating, and impersonal job. While technology has succeeded in making human productivity increase, effective human motivation collaboration is most definitely needed for any long-term business success.

There are technological substitutes for having a team sit together in the same place. However, these solutions are limited in their effectiveness. The connection with someone who is just a name on an e-mail mailing list or a disembodied voice on a conference call is far weaker. The advantages of teleconferencing tools don't come close to approaching the team development and cohesiveness that face-to-face contact provides. Employees feel more like a team and unite for a greater sense of shared goals if they get together in person.

We are in a highly competitive market place, where business must have a creative, and flexible plan in order to keep up with the rapid changes. Smart companies should consider leveraging team development activities. Utilizing skills developed at these off sites, people are comfortable working in a team environment and able to problem-solve together. Until this solidarity forms, a company will remain inert while everyone is pulling and pushing in different directions.

During the growth of a company things becomes more complex. There are many businesses that have looked to pioneering settlers, and the military throughout history for their inspiration. Seeing that people faced logistical and physical changes built quick bonds, developing problem-solving abilities that are critical to a team. Thus people become more motivated to strive for group success.

The business world has taken examples from these models to promote team building opportunities. Covered wagon building and driving is one of these entertaining methods. Groups of 8-12 people are formed to complete a series of group tasks with themes from the trials of the Old West.

Every team should design and build a closed wagon as specified in the technical specification. All the teams can buy the necessary supplies required to build the wagon from the budget allotted to them. They also work together to create there own team flag and camp song. Once the teams have completed constructing there wagon they should compete in a race using it.

While doing so, team members must practice communicating, risk taking, exercising leadership, and working in tandem. They all get to practice problem solving in a structured group setting. People get a safe opportunity to learn to trust their teammates as they define roles and responsibilities to accomplish group challenges. The accompanying adrenaline rush from the exertion and novelty of testing physical limits in that manner is also chemically conducive to feelings of group camaraderie.

Team building events tend to take individuals out of their comfort zones. The goal is to help them overcome self-limiting fears, and mental barriers. These exercises are a fun, safe, and exciting way for companies to initiate effective project teams. Team building helps companies become more effectively interdependent. Once this happens things progress internally, and externally much smoother. Everyone involved feels highly motivated and comfortable working towards their goals.